Folding crate or box.



. No. 823,515. PATENTBD .TUNE 19, 1906.

. C. L. DOLPH.

FOLDING CRATE 0R BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED 0013.26. 1905.

UNITED sTATEsl IDATENT CEEICE.'

Specification of Letters Patent. y

Patented June V19, 1906.

Application ilecl October 26, 1905. Serial No. 284,500.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern/.5

Beit known that I, CHARLES L. DoLPH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cadillac, in the county of Wexford and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Crates or Boxes, and I do herebyydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others new and useful features, hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- `Figure 1 is an isometrical perspective of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2, an inverted plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 a sectional detail showing the device folded. Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

1 refers to the corner-posts, which are connected in pairs by horizontall -disposed side strips 2, said posts and strips orming the op' posite sides of the crate. These sides are pivotally connected'to the top and bottom sills 3, forming the upper and lower members of the end portions. These sills are connected by vertically-disposed strips 4, arranged near the outer edges of the sills, which sills and vertical strips constitute the end portions of the crate. Each corner-post is pivoted at one end of a side to the sills, near the outer angles of the same, as at 5, and at the other end of a side near the inner angles of the same, as at 5a. Thus when the device is folded by turning the sides and ends to paral-y lel planesthe sides will assume a horizontal posltion in different planes one above the other and adjacent to the respective vertical strips 4 o posite which-each side is folded, and the si ls 3 of the respective ends will be in alinement and in the same plane.

The bottom consists of any convenient number of bottom boards 6, connected by transverse cleats 7, preferably three, arranged substantially as shown, the outermost cleats '7 vextending at one side a suflicient distance to engage the lower edge of the horizontal side strip 2 and the middle cleat 7 a extending at the opposite side to extend beneath the opposite strip 2. The bottom is iirst inserted, with the ends of the cleats 7 under one side, and the opposite side strip is 4sprung outward until the end of the cleat 7a will pass the same, when said strip will spring back above the end of the cleat 7 a, andthe bottom will thus be securely and detachably held in place. The respective corners of this bottom engage the respective corner-posts l, and thus securely hold the crate in rectangular form when assembled, as described. This bottom can be placed within the plane of the sills 3, as shown in Fig. 3, and the device thus folded in compact form, with all of its members in horizontal planes. Obviously the sides, ends, and bottom may be closed to form a folding box instead of a crate, and a cover may be added, if desirable ,without departing from my invention. v

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A foldin crate comprising sides and ends, said en s having *inwardly-projecting and pivots connecting the post atone end of each side with the sills near their outer angles and pivots connecting the other ends of the sides with the sills near their inner angles.

2. A folding crate comprising ends having inwardly-projecting top and bottom sills, sides pivotally connected to the sills each side having one end pivots located near the outer side of the end sills, andthe other end pivots located near the inner side of said sills whereby the sides fold inseparate parallel planes and between the end sills, and the sills of the respective ends are arranged in the same plane andend to end.

3. folding crate comprising corner-posts connected in pairs by horizontal strips, said posts and strips forming the sides of the crate, top and bottom sills connected in pairs by vertical strips arranged near the outer edges of the sills, pivots connecting the post at one end of each side with one pair of sills near their outer angles, and pivots connecting the posts at the other ends of the sides of the sills IOO ILO

r j ection at the other side of the bottom adapted to spring the iiexible side of the crate outward, and engage the under side ofthe same, to detachably secure the bottom in place.

5. In a folding crate, corner-posts connected by ieXible horizontal strips, top and bottom sills connected by vertical strips, pivots connecting the ends of the cornerposts with the sills, a bottom adapted to engage the respective posts at the respective Y corners, and fixed cleats on said bottom, said cleats projecting rigidly outside the opposite sides of the bottom to engage the lower edges of the horizontal strips and to detachably secure the bottom in place.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES L. DOLPH.

lVitnesses JOHN P. WILcoX, H. HANSEN. 

